


What Passes for I Love You

by jeanmoneau



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Andreil, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, I suppose, M/M, screams into the void: LET THEM BE SOFT
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-06-10 23:26:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15302367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeanmoneau/pseuds/jeanmoneau
Summary: "Or maybe it's the moment Andrew looks at Neil and saysIt's just a yesso Neil can stop asking him if what they have is okay." - Nora Sakavic after being asked what Neil's fondest memory of Andrew is.





	What Passes for I Love You

“I don’t think I’ve ever told you what I meant that day,” says a voice from behind Andrew.

Andrew looks up from staring at the bathroom sink to catch Neil’s eyes staring back at him through the mirror. Neil’s sitting on the edge of the bathtub, hands clasped together, elbows resting on his knees. Andrew doesn’t think about how this has been the longest Neil has ever looked at a mirror.

Instead, he spits out the toothpaste in his mouth and stare back blankly. “You have to be more specific than that, Neil.”

“Thank you,” Neil says heavily, standing up from the bathtub now. “You were amazing.”

Andrew stiffens at the words, suddenly transporting back to a cold, damp locker room. Andrew, at the time, was aware of the hidden implications of the words. A quiet and somber _Goodbye_.

Cold hands bump into his and he finds himself staring more intently at his reflection again. Though, this time, Neil is beside him, a small smile on his lips and his eyes bright as he gazes softly at Andrew’s reflection. There is so much tenderness in that look that Andrew is mad.

“You thanked me for closing the goal.” Andrew subconsciously taps at the edge of the sink. “And I know you were saying goodbye. I’m not an idiot.”

Neil takes Andrew’s hand in his and carefully examines the bend of his knuckles. “You’re not wrong.” Neil looks up again, but this time looking at Andrew, avoiding their reflections on the mirror. “But I meant to say thank you for everything.”

“Again, you have to be more specific–”

“The keys,” Neil cuts in.

Andrew’s breath catches in his throat. When he speaks next, his voice is low and rough. “They’re just keys, Neil.”

“You know better than anyone that that’s not true. You gave me a home. Somewhere I could come back to. I hadn’t realized then that those weren’t going to be our last.”

When Andrew doesn’t say anything, Neil continues with the same tender weight in his voice that reflects the look he’s giving Andrew. “I also meant thank you for the trust. I was a lie and, despite that, you let me in. You gave me a phone, you traded your truths, you saw me and kept quiet of the ugly parts.”

Andrew still doesn’t look away from the mirror. “You’re a walking travesty, you know that?”

“Yeah.” Neil breathes out a laugh. “I’m not going to argue with you on that.”

“You’re real, Neil. You’re not a lie.”

A surprised look washes over Neil’s face before being replaced by a softness that tugs deep in Andrew’s heart. “I want you to know that I was thankful for everything you gave me, but I also meant thank you for the kisses."

Andrew directly looks at Neil then, head turning embarrassingly fast, though, neither boy mentions it. He searches Neil’s face without knowing what to look for. Neil smiles at him and lifts their hands to place a kiss on his knuckles. “You’re amazing.”

Neil drops Andrew’s hand in favor of raking his own hands through Andrew’s hair. Andrew doesn’t say anything about the overwhelming pleasure it brings him when Neil does this, but the crinkles at the ends of the other's eyes lets him know that Neil is aware.

“I’d come back for you,” Andrew says. When Neil doesn’t seem to get what he’s saying, he keeps talking. He sounds unconcerned, but the words has his heart chasing laps in his chest. “If there were a zombie apocalypse, I’d come back for you.”

Understanding seems to cross Neil’s face in the form of a bright smile and a quiet, “Yes or no?”

“It’s just a yes.”

Neil’s smile doesn’t falter, but Andrew knows by the light tug Neil gives his hair that Neil is surprised. “Are you sure?”

“It’s just a yes, Neil.”

Andrew doesn’t know who pulls in first, but the next thing he knows, they’re kissing. It’s tender, and deep, and it leaves Andrew’s mind fuzzy. He feels so much. And he doesn’t need to tell Neil just how deep his feelings go. Because between them, this kiss passes for _I love you_.

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was originally posted on my tumblr [here](http://jeanmoneau.tumblr.com/post/163777400963/heres-a-lil-something-based-off-of-the-last). I hope you liked it just as much as I liked writing it!! Thank you for reading. All your love is appreciated ❤(ˆ‿ˆԅ)


End file.
